


See The Lights

by LI0NH34RT



Series: Neighbours/Roommates [4]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Christmas Decorations, Christmas Lights, M/M, MANY lights, So many lights, Thiam
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:48:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21952465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LI0NH34RT/pseuds/LI0NH34RT
Summary: “Liam seriously, I’m gonna strangle you!”“Okay, but please use the Christmas lights, to keep it festive, you know?”
Relationships: Liam Dunbar/Theo Raeken
Series: Neighbours/Roommates [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2046077
Comments: 14
Kudos: 90





	See The Lights

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Med for the idea. 💙
> 
> Happy Holidays to the whole Thiam fandom. I love you guys and I am happy I met you.

“Liam seriously, I’m gonna strangle you!”  
“Okay, but please use the Christmas lights, to keep it festive, you know?”

  


Theo groans and bangs his window shut and rips the curtains close again.   
“The fifth fucking time!”, he growls to himself while crawling into bed again. The fifth night in a row that his annoying neighbour wakes him up to sneakily decorate Theo's house.  
He pulls the blanket over his head to try and drown out Liam's clumsy attempt to climb down from his roof without hanging himself on the light strings (again).

  


~♤~

  


It all started two weeks ago, on the first of December, a Sunday.

  
When Theo woke up that morning, it was not from the bright winter sun peeking through his curtains and it certainly wasn’t a snow plough (this is California after all), so when he looked out of the bedroom window to locate the hammering noise that disturbed his slumber he saw his neighbour, a stocky guy who's blonde hair glowed in the morning light, balancing on a ladder and... hammering nails into his roof?

  
“Oi, neighbour, what the hell are you doing there?”  
The other man squawked undignified and almost looses his balance before turning around and waving at Theo with a bright grin on his face.  
“Good morning, neighbour! I am decorating. It's the first of December after all! When do you start? Let me know if you need a hand.”

Overwhelmed by that much energy this early in the morning Theo closed his window without giving an answer. He had almost forgotten about the strange incident again; going on with his usual free day morning routine consisting of making a bowl of cereal and eating them while watching Netflix in his pyjamas; when the door bell chimed.

In front of said door stood the still annoyingly happy neighbour.

  
“Good morning again! I just realized that I didn't even introduce myself earlier so you wouldn't know who to ask for if you needed help with decorating later. My name is Liam Dunbar, nice to meet you.”  
He held out his hand, and Theo, still confused by all this joy, shook it: “Theo. Raeken. I moved in this summer.”  
“Right! I am gone for months sometimes, so I missed your move, travelling a lot for work and all, you know...”, he trailed off, just now noticing Theo's clothes, “oh, I am so sorry, you are probably cold! See you later outside, Theo!”

And with that Liam bounded back over to his own house, the front yard a mess of different string lights and LED decorations.  
Theo just shook his head as he stood and watched for a moment, Liam trying to untangle a string of icicles looked weirdly cute... but also very unnecessary. He turned back around and continued to go on about his morning.

  


The next afternoon, he just came back from getting groceries, Liam's house equalled the lamp department at IKEA, so many lights were affixed to the small home.  
Shaking his head he started to unload his bags when suddenly Liam appeared out of nowhere.

“Theo! Finally! I've been waiting to catch you because you still haven't started-"  
“I don't decorate”, Theo cuts off his neighbours sentence, making his face fall.

  
“What? But all the Christmas lights are so beautiful! Just look at my house!”  
Theo sighed, he puts down the grocery bag he still held in his right hand.

  
“Liam. I don't have any decorations – and I won't buy any!”, he adds quickly as Liam has already opened his mouth, "it’s just not my style, okay? And the way I see it, you really have enough lights for both of us.”  
With that he turned to take the second bag out of his trunk and then locking his car before picking up the bag to his feet. He just started walking towards his house when he heard a meek “Wait!” behind him.

  
Liam quickly followed him and looked up into Theo's face with deep blue puppy eyes.  
“I am sorry. I shouldn't have pressured you so much, but you know, I have a reason why I want everyone in our street to have decorated houses and yards.”  
“Oh yeah?”, now Theo was interested and Liam certainly didn't disappoint; half an hour later Theo knew everything about Brett “The Stupid Tall Asshole" Talbot from across the street and his yearlong competition with Liam which street side and who's house could have the prettiest decorations.   
“...and that is why I need you to help me. So will you?”, Liam ended his monologue.

  
Theo sighed. “No”, he said. “Look, you can have this stupid contest with your frenemy all you want but please leave me out of it, yeah?” he started his way towards the front door again and finally made his way inside while ignoring Liam's disappointed calls after him.  
“Really? Come on, don't be a dick!”  
“Just one string light?”  
“A small light up star? I will even install it, you won't have to do anything!”

  


Two days of his neighbour trying to convince him of “just one small piece, please Theo, for me" followed by ridiculously cute puppy dog eyes (that totally didn't have any effect on him) later, Theo had been woken by a bright light that shone through his window and when he looked outside there had been a dark clad figure on his front yard, putting up several golden glowing led reindeers.  
He pulled his curtains shut and the next morning, when Liam had driven off to work, he pulled the weird figures out of his yard and placed them carefully right in front of his neighbour's door.

Several more attempts, including one very scary awakening where Theo woke up to a dangling Liam directly in front of his bedroom window, body wrapped in cheerily blinking string lights, and had to carefully lower him into his room, the incidents lead to his exact night.

  


~♤~

  
When Theo wakes up the next morning, thankfully a Saturday, he stares at the simple warm white string of fairy lights right under his roof ridge for a few minutes until a movement on the other side of the street catches his eye.  
He knows that this has to be Brett Talbot immediately. Not only because his house is almost suffocating in colourful Christmas decor but and because Liam's description had been spot on, the guy is stupidly tall – _or was it stupid and tall?_  
It doesn't matter because right now he is inflating the biggest and ugliest Santa Theo has ever seen in his front yard.  
When he turns around, still shaking his head about the lack of taste, he sees Liam watching the scene unfold from behind his window and for the first time since he met him, the blonde man doesn't smile, he seems to be almost... sad?  
For some reason Theo's heart jumps painfully at that look. He doesn't really want to admit it, not even to himself, but over the last few weeks his neighbour really grew on him, with his always happy, sunshine coming out of his ass attitude. 

  
And so Theo makes a decision. 

  


~♤~

  


On Sunday, the day before Christmas Eve, Theo wakes up from his door bell chiming, accompanied by hectic knocking on the door itself. Once again only in checkered pyjama pants and a simple black shirt he opens the door to an excited Liam. 

  
Without waiting for an invitation the blonde marches past him, right into Theo's kitchen.  
“Have you heard?”, he exclaims while filling himself a pot of freshly brewed coffee from the machine on the counter (thank good for timers). Theo just pours himself a second mug, sits down at the table and takes a sip before he can muster up the strength to ask.

  
“What happened now, Liam?”  
“Brett's Santa Claus!”, he gets as answer, Liam smiling extra bright this morning and Theo can feel the butterflies in his stomach slowly waking up at the truly adorable sight of childish glee that his neighbour is right now.

  
_Oh._ The memories from last night come flooding back and he can't hold back a small but very mischievous cackle himself. “Well, it was ugly anyways. No loss for all of us.”

Liam's eyes get small. “How do you know it's broken? I didn't say that and you clearly just woke up", he asks with a suspicious once-over of Theo's appearance.   
“Uhm...”, _fuck_ , “I mean... I, might know someone who _maybe_ had something to do with the little accident Santa had last night. There might has been a steak knife involved.”  
Theo carefully looks up to see Liam's eyes even bigger and bluer than usual. He clearly is surprised.

“You killed Santa? For me?”  
“Look, I saw you, okay. Yesterday, looking out of the window, you looked so sad and I don't like it when you're sad so I waited until everyone was asleep and I stabbed the ugly motherfucker in the foot. I regret nothing.”

He waits for Liam to start yelling at him, about fair competition and property damage, but instead his neighbour laughs. It starts out as a small giggle that soon turns into a full on belly laughter.   
“You are unbelievable, Theo Raeken”, he gets out between laughing fits and wiping away the tears streaming from his face.

  


Later, that evening, Theo and Liam are in Theo's front yard.

  
Liam just climbs down the ladder which he used to install the big shooting star on top of Theo's chimney.   
He smiles brightly as he slowly walks over to where Theo stands and readily cuddles himself into the man’s waiting arms. They both watch their light up houses in silence, no words needed in this moment, and when Theo sees how all those ridiculous lights reflect in Liam's wide, happy eyes he thinks that in the end, a little bit of holiday cheer isn't that bad.

  



End file.
